Remembering the downtown live music club as it prepares for its final weekend

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Mainstay Rock Bar will be celebrating its final weekend before closing its doors after five and a half years in operation. As I prepared to write about the closure of my favorite local bar, I struggled to figure out just how to voice my sadness. I’m still not entirely sure how but I did think of a ton of stories that exemplify why Mainstay was so special to me. I ...

Local rockers host listening party tonight for their finest effort to date

500 Miles to Memphis’ two most recent album releases are local classics that reside in two vastly different musical landscapes. Their 2007 album, Sunshine in a Shot Glass, offers 12 tracks of undiluted Country Punk. The album starts off with the band’s hit “All My Friends are Crazy” and doesn’t let up. The band’s followup, 2011’s <...

Martin Luther and the Kings refine their “Kablam Rock” on latest material

The members of Martin Luther and the
Kings are recovering from a long night of partying, performing and
drinking. Guitarist and vocalist “Hellcat” Matt Smith, bassist Aaron
“Bogie” Bogren and drummer Jimmy “Jims” Snowden are sitting at a table
with pints of Guinness, hot wings and sunglasses, all within reach.

Sitting down with Northern Kentucky-based
Punk rockers The Nothing on May the 4th (Star Wars Day for the
non-geeks in the audience) felt like fate. The members of the band
(vocalist Jimi Caudill, guitarist Paulie Burgio, drummer Eric Robinson
and bassist Dan Snow) have all had a Jedi-esque journey of redemption
littered with band transitions, relationship implosions, addiction and
other trials.

The gods of Rock must have known that Alice In Chains was in town on Saturday, May 17 as the area around the Horseshoe Casino was dreary, cloudy and cold. It’s as if they transplanted a little bit of Seattle into downtown Cincinnati for much of the day. Luckily the rain held off for the show, allowing the sold-out crowd to bear witness to a classic Grunge act proving just how energetic and relev...

Cincinnati Folk Metal crew offers perks for fan support in current Indiegogo campaign

Spring has sprung, in name at least. For music fans, this means that more bands will exit from their hibernations and start scheduling shows and tours. Cincinnati’s own Folk Metal warriors, Winterhymn, have done exactly that, earning a slot on this year’s Paganfest America. The local sextet will be the only American band on th...

The Greater Cincinnati Punk Rock scene gathers for a memorial/benefit in honor of Dave McClain

In November 2013, Cincinnati’s Punk Rock scene lost one of their own when Dave McClain, a former member of several local outfits (including Martin Luther and the Kings and The Zvills), passed away. On that November night, a wife lost her husband, children lost their father and an entire music scene lost a brother. So they've rallied to raise money the best way they know how — by putting togeth...

Cincinnati’s multifaceted Black Signal pushes the boundaries of Electronic music

Sean “Scary” Garner, one half of
Cincinnati-based Black Signal, claims his Electronica project got its
moniker from garbled transmissions from outer space.
It’s a fitting title given the unique brand of Electronic music that
Garner and bandmate Matt Ogden have been assembling.

A clash of influences creates area band Siren’s dynamic Metal sound

In Greek mythology, a Siren was a
gorgeous woman whose enchanting songs caused innumerable sailors to
shipwreck, never to be seen again. It is somewhat ironic, then, that
Northern Kentucky-based Siren is a Heavy Metal group featuring four very
furry young men. But for local metalheads, Siren’s mix of a Doom
foundation — with Thrash and Death Metal components — is just as
intoxicating as the verses of old.